Development of light harvesting structures for photovoltaics

Manning, Jake and Coogan, Michael and Danos, Lefteris (2025) Development of light harvesting structures for photovoltaics. In: 17th International conference on materials chemistry (MC17), 2025-07-07 - 2025-07-10, Edinburgh International Conference Centre.

Text (edinburgh poster draft 2 2)
edinburgh_poster_draft_2_2.pdf
Download (1MB)

Abstract

Light harvesting structures [1-3] present a method to collect and spectrally manage input light, by directing absorption-excitations through molecular structures hosting luminescent dyes, capable of Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). Light absorbed at any node in the system will undergo FRET to adjacent donor nodes, and efficient networks will direct nearly all excitations to an acceptor dye or energy-destination, where photonic energy can be extracted [4-6]. So far, no light harvesting networks have approached the energy transfer efficiencies (over 95%) of light-harvesting complexes present in nature, responsible for light-energy collection for photosynthesis in plants and algae [7]. In this project molecular structural techniques for fabricating light-harvesting structures have been developed. Reactive site labelled polystyrene (PS) microsphere surfaces are decorated with luminescent donor and acceptor dyes fluorescein-ITC (isothiocyanate) and rhodamine-ITC via covalent attachment. Samples are measured spectroscopically in both aqueous systems, and suspended in polymers via novel polyvinyl alcohol-suspension methods. Both steady-state fluorescence and time-resolved photoluminescence decay measurements are taken, and fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) fluorescence decay micrographs are measured for single-dye test PS microspheres and donor : acceptor ratio decorated PS microspheres systems. The energy transfer of these systems is determined. Light-harvesting structures are developed with the goal of maximising energy-transfer efficiency whilst minimising loss effects: molecular aggregation, reabsorption and parasitic donor fluorescence. Alongside structure development, our group develops novel photovoltaic sensitisation devices, primarily luminescent solar concentrators [8] and silicon photosensitization [4-5], for which novel 3D printing meth ods and dyes spincoated in PMMA onto silicon are produced and measured. References [1] G. Calzaferri, K. Lutkouskaya, Photochem. Photobiol. Sci. 7, 879, (2008). [2] L. Fang, N. Alderman, L. Danos, and T. Markvart, Mat. Res. Innov., 18, 494, (2014). [3] C. Y. Lee, O. K. Farha, B. J. Hong et al., J. Chem. Soc., 133, 15858, (2011). [4] L. Danos, N. R. Halcovitch, B. Wood, H. Banks, M. P. Coogan, N. Alderman, L. Fang, B. Dzurnak and T. Markvart, Faraday Discuss. 222, 405, (2020) [5] N. Alderman, L. Danos, L. Fang, M. C. Grossel and T. Markvart, Chem. Comm. 53, 12120, (2017) [6] G. Calzaferri, Topics in Catalysis, 53, 130, (2010). [7] X. Hu, A. Damjanovi´c, T. Ritz, and K. Schulten. Proc. of the Nat. Academy of Sciences of the USA 95, 5935, (1998). [8] L. Danos, T. J. J. Meyer, P. Kittidachachan, L. Fang, T. S. Parel, N. Soleimani, T. Markvart, in RSC Energy and Env. Series No. 12, Mat. Ch. Inorganic Photovoltaic Solar Energy, ed. S. J. C. Irvine, R. Soc. of Chem. pp. 297–331, (2014)